


A Song For The Setting Sun

by TurtleLady17



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friendship, Friendship/Love, If You Squint - Freeform, M/M, Prompt Fic, Songfic, Voltron - Freeform, You won't miss it, but not songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 19:34:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9340007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurtleLady17/pseuds/TurtleLady17
Summary: Moments like this were very few and rather far in between. Keith was just glad he was able to spend this day with his best friend.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The idea was totally not my own, but of [Shikoga](https://shikoga.tumblr.com). They shared a beautiful picture by [Igor Piwowarczyk](https://68.media.tumblr.com/069780beccef05a8264e121342eaabda/tumblr_nmdrj8eFAU1qflgwpo3_1280.jpg) along with this little prompt:
> 
> "Keith and Shiro, just on the rooftop, looking at that sunset together  
> talking about anything, talking about nothing in particular  
> enjoying each other's company  
> listening to the radio together  
> Shiro teaching Keith how to play Cat's Cradle  
> and Keith telling Shiro about what kinda bike modifications he's working on  
> and Shiro and Keith talking about red dwarf stars, asteroids, meteors"
> 
> I jumped right on it, and it's alright? I have not written any completed works in a very long time.
> 
> This was beta'd by the very awesome [nupitrr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nupitrr) and [SmilingCheshire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmilingCheshire) and the final read through by the very adorable [RedBowBuddha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedBowBuddha). I really appreciate their help!

The colors of the sky shifted into darker, more vivid hues, marking the beginning of the sun’s descent from the sky.

_“Well I’m runnin’ down the road, tryin’ to loosen my load_

_Got a world of trouble on my mind._

_Lookin’ for a lover who won’t blow my cover, she’s so hard find…”_

Keith’s ears twitched with the mixed noises of traffic drifting upwards from the streets below, along with the rock music playing softly from the portable speakers at his feet.

His eyes traced the lines of the chem-trails and scattered, wispy clouds that softened the slowly shifting, vivid colors. His mind floating among the birds, drifting aimlessly with the ruffle of their feathers. He closed his eyes as he tried to forget the events of the day – stressful to say the least.

He didn’t like people very much, and was an avid avoider of interacting with them. Unless he had no choice but to do so. There were plenty of instances in which he had to, some of which were being polite through fleeting interactions with strangers and obnoxiousness with his small, but wonderful, group of best friends. But others made him wish that he never moved into the city in the first place. There were days when the crowds and rush became too much for him, and the tell-tale signs of an anxiety attack would rear their jittery little heads. He would plaster on a fake smile while his skin prickled and his chest begin to constrict. His throat felt like it was closing completely and his head felt like it was actually swelling–

“Keith.” A gentle cadence rang out, and the young man glanced over to the other figure stretched out on their blanket.

_“I understand about indecision_

_But I don’t care if I get behind_

_People livin’ in competition_

_All I want is to have my piece of mind”_

“Shiro.” He responded, and Shiro huffed a quiet laugh.

“You’re doing it again.” Keith sniffed and glanced away.

“It was – it was a really stressful day.” He heard the older man shift beside him and looked over to see Shiro sitting up, with his trademark Worried Expression on his handsome face.

“That bad, huh?” He asked. And Keith just looked at him.

“It’s no wonder Lance calls you the Dad Friend.” Keith blurts out after a beat of silence. Shiro let out a surprised laugh – full and booming.

“Yeah, I guess it’s a given he calls me that at this point.” He answers between giggles, and Keith relaxes at Shiro’s cheerfulness. “Will you be okay?”

Keith nods and scratches his head. “Yeah, I’ll be okay. It kinda sucks that the others aren’t up here with us.”

Shiro shrugs. “It does, but it’s been awhile since you and I actually spent any time together.”

He had a point. Keith couldn’t really remember the last time he and Shiro hung out and just spent time together. He loved being around his friends; they were the only ones he truly felt comfortable enough to call his family. But on certain days, he only had enough energy to hang out with one at a time, in which there was an unspoken agreement to respect that. Recently, Shiro has been the one he hasn’t seen properly in weeks – and he was sorely missing the calm and reassuring presence of the older man.

“That is true.” Keith said softly, and plays with a couple of strands of his hair, trying to distract himself, and Shiro shifted beside him again. He feels another nudge and he huffs a laugh.

“Alright, I’ll stop.” He relaxes his shoulders and looked over to Shiro again. His older friend was smiling at him. “I missed your face.”

“I missed you too.”

Keith blushed, thankful that the setting sun was red enough to mask it. They fell into a comfortable silence and he glanced up towards the sun sinking below the horizon. Feeling at peace, he closed his eyes, the image of the shifting vibrant colors imprinted in his mind. The music was washing over him, rising above the orchestra of city life in the streets below.

_“I finally see the dawn’ arrivin’_

_I see beyond the road I’m drivin’_

_Far away and left behind…”_

He started to sing with the song, opening his eyes to see Shiro pulling out a deck of cards and shuffling them. The older man looked up and held up the shuffled deck in a silent offer to play their usual game. Keith nodded and Shiro passed out the cards accordingly and they began their game.

“There is this new exhibit that just opened at the museum about a few days ago,” Shiro began, knowing that Keith was listening while he sang. He was almost completely distracted, mostly due to the fact that Keith had a wonderful voice, but was never comfortable enough to sing before anyone except their group. Shiro always enjoyed hearing the younger man sing, always rendered into complete awe at the notes Keith was capable of hitting. “It’s a mechanics exhibit. Lance and Hunk already know about it, I’m sure that they’ll drag you to it sometime soon.”

Keith brought his singing down into a contemplative hum, and answered after placing one of his cards down. “I’m pretty sure that Lance is going to make us all go, and turn it into a field trip.”

“Don’t tell me I’ll be the chaperone.” Shiro said with an amused smile.

“Lance will make you the Honorary Chaperone, since you’re the most responsible anyway.”

Laughter mixed with the music and they continued to chat idly as the sun was close to being completely out of the sky. Keith updated Shiro on the latest modifications he’d made to his custom built motorbike, chatting excitedly about how good his work flow been lately. Shiro congratulated him and Keith blushed again.

The music changed and Keith nearly stopped what he was doing to sing along. Smiling as Keith sang, Shiro recognized that it was a band they both shared within their interests for music – this song a particular favorite of Keith’s.

_“I never did believe in miracles,_

_But I’ve a feeling it’s time to try._

_I never did believe in the ways of magic,_

_But I’m beginning to wonder why.”_

There was something deeply moving, and very magical to the way Keith sang. His entire body would change its stance, completely loose and comfortable, as if nothing was holding him back. His voice would either be full of joy or sorrow, never a middle ground. His eyes would sparkle, and fill with a hint of tears, magnifying the passion he poured effortlessly into the song he crooned out.

Shiro sat, mesmerized at Keith’s complete shift in presence. He marveled at the voice that didn’t seem to match the otherwise brooding boy, noticing that the ever shifting colors of the setting sun seem to respond to Keith’s smooth and incredibly joyful cadence. Pure warmth overcame Shiro as Keith’s voice hit the notes of the song’s coda, matching the bold brilliance of the dying colors in the sky. Right before his eyes, Keith’s aura matched every color and made him appear almost unearthly, alien and beautiful.

The sun completely disappeared as the last notes rang out and hung lightly in the air between them. With the dying sun, Keith blinked and blushed furiously at Shiro’s staring.

“W-what?” He stammered. “You’re acting like you’ve never seen me sing before.”

Shiro shook his head. “No,” He was still feeling high from that performance. “Not like this.”

Keith ducked his head suddenly intensely interested in the cards in his hand. He didn’t want to acknowledge it, but he could have sworn he saw Shiro’s expression was that of admiration and love.

_‘Noooooo, I’m just imagining it.’_

“Keith.” He flinched at his name.

“Keith, look at me. Please.” The young man timidly looked up at the owner of the voice, Shiro, his friend, and nearly looked away again.

“You really have a beautiful voice.” Shiro wasn’t holding his cards anymore, they were carefully set beside him, face down. “I know you’re not comfortable with singing in front of people, but you can really make a career out of it.” He moved forward a little, alerting Keith to the space between them becoming smaller. “Even if you don’t, the fact that you shared this gift with me and our other friends is more than enough to make me happy.” He stopped to settle right next to Keith, and the younger man blinked up at him.

“T-thanks.” He said quietly, stuttering, and Shiro smiled.

Another silence fell between them. Not quite awkward, but not calm either, somewhere in between. There was a bit of tension between them, a visible buzzing. Keith couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he felt such warmth radiating from Shiro, he wanted to just lean in and bundle himself within the other’s strong form.

Shiro himself still felt a little high from watching Keith sing. He wanted to do more than just tell Keith that he was wonderful, he wanted to show him. He wasn’t sure exactly on what to do, so he did what he thought he knew best.

Keith gave a loud squawk as Shiro wrapped his arms around him and shifted his weight to drag them both onto the blanketed ground. They both burst into laughter, the sounds of glee drifting into the warm night air. Shiro rolled onto his back with Keith tucked beside him as their laughter dissolved into quiet giggles, and finally a comfortable silence.

Keith glanced over to Shiro, his eyes trailing over the outline of the other’s face and the scar that rested upon the bridge of his nose. He turned his head to look up at the sky, dark with the glow of the city’s lights surrounding it.

“You know,” Keith began. “I’ve always imagined you being an astronaut.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Astronaut Shiro: Explorer of the Vast Frontier.”

At this, Shiro laughed, a deep and full sound that reverberated in Keith’s bones and he smiled in return. “What brought this to your mind? What is it about me that makes you believe that I’ll be a Space Explorer?” Shiro asked, humor in his voice.

“Well for one thing, you’re always looking beyond what is in front of you. It’s like you can only see what others cannot. You also have a great eye for adventure, which is why we always have amazing road trips. I can totally see you traveling from planet to planet, galaxy to galaxy, meeting and interacting with races and species that we can only imagine. You’re great with people and you’re just…” Keith paused for a moment.

Shiro glanced down to the other, curious at his pause, and felt warmed at Keith’s expression – a mixture of admiration and pride, which Shiro has caught Keith wearing more than once over the years of their friendship. He waited for Keith to continue, to say the word he felt that would fit, and he wasn’t disappointed.

“Extraordinary.” Shiro was _not_ expecting that, he felt his face heat up and quickly looked back up at the sky.

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes you are, shut up.” Quick as lightning, that boy is.

“Keith.”

“Shiro.”

“Rock Star Keith.”

“Spaceman Shiro.”

Giggles started to surface.

“Brooding Emo Boy.”

Giggles turned into sniggers.

“Perpetually Worried Dad Friend.”

Barely contained laughter.

“Mullet Head!”

Keith was wheezing too hard to even dignify that with a proper comeback.

“Oh god, I think,” Shiro managed between laughs. “I think that Lance is rubbing off on us.”

“I can’t _deal_ with his terrible insults, like where does he come up with this?” Keith shook with barely contained glee, Lance was special all right, but Keith didn’t want to think of him then.

“I don’t know, but they do get you riled up though.” Shiro, oh-so-helpfully pointed out, and Keith gave a mixture of a groan and a laugh. “Don’t deny it. They annoy you as much as they amuse you.”

“Ugh, shut up.” Keith lightly slapped Shiro’s chest, and the other laughed.

_“I can’t see no reason to put up a fight_

_I’m living for giving the devil his due_

_And I’m burning, I’m burning, I’m burning for you”_

Both of them launched into a conversation about Lance’s problematic habits, strangely melting into a conversation about their dreams and goals and encouraging each other to do better and voicing their general support of each other. Keith blushed when Shiro pulled him closer, and Shiro stammered when Keith planted a very light kiss on his cheek.

Fingers linked as eyes strayed to the skies above. Their voices carried outwards into the darkened heavens above, peppering the vast darkness with stars and galaxies of their own.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want me to talk your ear off about Classic Rock, then take a wild guess on what each of those songs were (you can totally cheat, I won't tell - on myself).
> 
> I'm not feeling too hot on how it turned out, but let me know what you guys think (if you want). Also, you're more than welcome to spam me on my Tumblr: TurtleLady17.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
